ICYMI, Janella Salvador is turning 18 this Wednesday and instead of the usual celebration, she opted to do something quite meaningful and special. Instead of asking people to give her gifts for her special day, she decided to give 18 people on the streets blessings in the form of groceries and umbrellas.
It warms our heart that someone like Janella, who could ask for a grand debut if she wanted to, chose to do something selfless and so generous. And we love that her hope is for other teens like her to see this video and do the same. How's that for paying it forward?
Here are a few more ideas we thought of that you could do in case you were thinking of alternative ideas for celebrating your 18th birthday, too!
- Book drive. Ask your friends to donate a book from their library and share the collection with your local barangay or Church community so that street kids can come and read.
- Clean up. Do you live by the beach? Why don't you get your family and friends together to do an ocean clean-up? All you'll need are a couple of net bags and helping hands to make sure the shoreline is free of any trash and debris.
- Sponsor a student. If you still want to have a small get together, why don't you skip the presents and ask your guests to bring a starter pack of school supplies instead? You can ask them to fill up a plastic envelope with a notebook or pad paper, a ruler, pencils, a box of crayons, and a sharpener. You can get in touch with your local public school to express your intent of donating these to their students.
- Start at home. If your household helper, yaya, or driver have kids your age, why don't you invite them for a day out with you and their parents? They devote their time and energy to you and your family that sometimes, they only get to see their family once a week/month/year. It would mean a lot to them if you chose to spend an important milestone in your life with them!
- Volunteer. There are a lot of NGOs that are always in need of an extra set of helping hands. Why don't you spend one weekend volunteering for a cause that means a lot to you? You just might enjoy it that you'll find yourself coming back to do more even after your birthday is over!
What other debut alternatives can you think of? Leave a message below or tweet us @candymagdotcom!
